1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the maintenance of vehicle tires and, more particularly, to an automated device capable of applying tire treatment chemical to vehicle tires in combination with a conventional carwash by means of a unique computer controlled tire tracking system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The automobile is the largest investment a person typically makes after the purchase of a home. Constantly exposed to the elements, the appearance of this investment is maintained by periodic, if not weekly, cleaning. Cleaning preserves exposed surfaces by removal of dirt, grime, or oxidants before they have an opportunity to attack a surface or otherwise detract from the automobile's appearance. To this end, numerous cleaning agents, polishes, and waxes are available.
The automobile tire, to which the instant invention is directed, is an integral part of the automobile investment yet the most neglected. Viewed as a replacement item the tire is typically cleaned, if at all, only for appearance purposes. Well known to automobile enthusiasts are protective chemicals that can be used to enhance the tire appearance as well as condition the tire to withstand the most severe conditions. For instance, the use of silicon based chemicals are known for their ability to prevent sidewall cracking by shielding against the effects of ozone and ultra-violet sun rays.
The problem with the use of chemical treatments is their method of application. Most every type of chemical treatment requires the tire to be clean to provide adhesion and dry to prevent dilution. For this reason application of a protective chemical must be done immediately after cleaning for optimum adherence. Another problem with chemical application is that frequent treatment is required for exemplary results.
The primary method of applying tire treatment chemical is by manually spraying the chemical onto the tire from a portable pump spray bottle. The spraying is often inaccurate causing wasteful application of the chemical during application. Since the application requires manual treatment, the consumer must treat their own tires unless they are willing to pay "full-service" car washers or automobile detailers. Even full-service carwashes attempt to lessen their manpower demands automating the washing, waxing, and drying cycles. For this reason numerous attempts have been made to incorporate automatic wheel washing devices into the automatic carwash, however, no such wheel washing device provides a means for post treatment of the tire with chemical.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,165, issued to Parkin exemplifies the automatic wheel washing prior art by disclosing a cleaning cycle for a wheel washer that moves along a prescribed path of travel in parallel relation to the velocity of the vehicle travel. The apparatus employs a circular brush which revolves about its own axis and is forced against the tire of the vehicle following the tire until the tire has made one complete revolution. The brushes compensate to various width vehicles by moving the brush brackets inward.
Numerous other automatic wheel washing devices exist including U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,909,869 issued to Randrup; U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,650 issued to Haverberg; U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,825 issued to Guthrie; U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,605 issued to Weishaar; U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,459 issued to Emanuel; U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,894 issued to Hurst; U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,446 issued to Furman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,133 issued to Haverberg; U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,207 issued to Brakel; U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,886 issued to Fricke; U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,165 issued to Parkin; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,948 issued to Swinehart.
Known prior art for applying tire treatment chemical within an automatic carwash setting is limited to stationary spraying devices. These devices rely upon an instant vending of a large amount of chemical in an attempt to treat the tire as the tire passes the spraying device. Instant vending employs numerous spray nozzles placed a predetermined distance from the tire sidewall. However, all vehicles do not use the same size tire and the result is either over-spray or under-spray of the chemical causing excessive waste if not failure of the attempted treatment. Waste of chemical is of particular concern due to its expense. Further, the majority of tire treatment chemicals are silicon based which can aggregate on the floor leading to dangerously slippery conditions.
In addition, over-spray of treatment chemical causes chrome and painted surfaces to take on a hazy appearance which is difficult to remove. Since wheel and tire size vary from car to car, multiple jets placed in a circular manner cannot limit their spray to the tire portion and frequently spray the body of the automobile, the wheel hubs or exposed functional steering or brake parts.
Streaking is yet another problem with the prior art. If excess moisture is not removed from the tire, application of the chemical will congregate or dilute with streaking as a result. If a circular shield is used to prevent overspray, a concentration of chemical may result also leading to streaking.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a tire treating system that tracks the movement of the vehicle tire as the vehicle is transported through a segment of a carwash assembly line, that is capable of automatically positioning a plurality of spray nozzles in close proximity to the tire sidewall, and is capable of stripping the moisture from the side wall while further providing an even dispersement of chemical in a uniform manner across the sidewall.